"Where- who's is that?"
Riel shrugs. "We don't know. I thought Dad or one of you would know."
I glance over at Zane. He's frozen like a statue, his face drained of color. His eyes blaze fire as they stare at the scythe.
"Zane? What's wrong?"
He looks over at me, his eyes wide and fuming.
"Steel-tipped gold with inlaid chocolate diamonds on an elm handle."
"What?"
My mind races.
Where have I heard that before?
A conversation I had with Zane rises in my head.
"I still remember that freaking bastard's scythe."
I look at Zane, my eyes wide.
"That-that's-"
Zane's face is white as a sheet now. His pupils are dilated, swallowing up the blue with a stark black.
I cup his face between my hands.
His head is burning cold underneath my fingertips.
"Zane....."
"He-he killed her. He took her away from me. He left me without a mom."
His face is contorted and his eyes blaze with fury, even as they well up with tears. They spill, sending them down his cheeks.
I brush them away with my finger.
"He'll pay. That freaking bastard's gonna pay."
His voice is a low growl now. His face is pulled with anger.
He pulls away from me, rushing toward Riel.
He snatches the scythe from his hands, gripping it until his knuckles are tight.
"Take me to him! Do you hear me?! TAKE ME TO YOUR MASTER!"
He screams at the scythe, splintering it in his grip.
Light escapes from the cracks.
Zane squeezes harder, sending pieces of broken wood into the air.
Wind begins to blow throughout the room; light pulses from the scythe.
I grip his hand and he squeezes.
He grips the scythe tighter. It groans under the pressure and snaps.
Pieces of it hit me in the face.
Riel and Dad shout. I barely hear them. Mom sobs.
The scythe screeches one more time then a pulse of light escapes it.
"ARIA!!!!"
I grip Zane's hand tighter.
Everything goes black.
I open my eyes groggily. My back hurts.
Not, oh- I-just-came-from-gym hurts, i mean I-think-I-broke-my-spine hurts.
I groan and try to shake my head to clear away the haze of pain.
I can't move.
I try to move my arms, but they're pinned tight behind me.
What the hell?!
I try to shake my legs.
The don't move.
Frantic, I try to wiggle my body.
I can't.
I start shaking violently, pulling at whatever's holding me.
Something digs into my arm.
I try to twist my head, to see what it is.
They're chains.
Thick, steel cables with chain links pin my body down. I struggle trying to pull away. I look down.
Woah.
I'm chained maybe 5 feet off the ground..... To a giant column.
I choke back a scream and try to look around.
I see tall columns all around me. They're dark and gray and they're holding up a giant roof with glass engravings.
I look down and see a motionless figure collapsed in the center off all the columns.
"Zane! ZANE!"
The figure shakily gets to its feet.
"Aria?"
"Zane! Where are we?"
"Forget that. Why are you chained to a freaking column?!"
"How the hell am I supposed to know?!"
"I'm getting you down!"
He starts climbing up the column.
"I don't think you should do that."
Zane whips his head around and I look up.
A figure in a shroud drifts over to us. The hood is pulled all the way up, so all we can see is a grotesque smile.
"I don't think you should do that," it repeats.
His voice is gruff kinda like.....
"You're that other guy," I blurt out.
"Yes, Aria, I am."
Zane growls and steps forward.
"How do you know her name?"
The other guy smiles wider. "The same way I know your name, Zane Roster."
Zane growls again, and summons his scythe.
"Who are you?"
The guy steps forward, a glimmering piece of wood in his hand. A scythe. A scythe with steel-tipped wood and inlaid chocolate diamonds in an elm handle.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Zane stares at the man's hand, color leeching from his face. His grip tightens on his scythe.
"You, you-"
He charges forward, swinging at the man.
He easily dodges and brings up his scythe to slice at Zane's head.
"ZANE!!!!" I scream, pulling at my chains.
Zane ducks and flips over, bringing his scythe to slice at the guy's neck.
He flickers out of view and and appears behind Zane.
"BEHIND YOU!!!!!!"
Zane turns too late, the scythe smacking him in the head.
"ZANE! ZANE!!!"
He looks up dazed and sends me a weak smile.
He collapses.
YOU ARE READING
Prep School
Fantasy15 year old Aria is not your ordinary teenage girl. She's not exactly normal but she doesn't stick out either. She has powers. Powers that mortals like you and me can't handle. When she moves to a new school, she has to learn how to control her powe...
